Opinion: passing tired tyres as new

In the August edition of CW magazine (out July 8, 2009), And another thing columnist Lloyd Junor says,

"Consumer-driven TV programs have sent staff to tyre dealerships for new tyres to be fitted to a car. Alarmingly, the tyres sold have, in some cases, been five years old. Effectively, they have almost no warranty period left, as manufacturers generally consider that after five to six years they are not obliged to warrant a tyre."

Have you unwittingly bought ‘old’ tyres? How did you handle the situation?